Mr. Hubby loves cheesecake. And mangoes.
Combine the two and he’s in 7th heaven. No wait – if I knew a way to infuse the cheesecake with mango ice-cream, he’d probably be in the kind of heaven for which there is no number – the infinity heaven. So until I figure out how to do that, being a mortal soul and all, I’m restricting my challenges to the ones I can conquer. Like how to take the heaviness out of the cheesecake and make it lusciously super creamy.
Now there’s an achievable goal. I’m not being snarky.
Promise.
There was perhaps a time when I would fret about making such a cheesecake but you know like with everything else, once you get to the pulse of a matter, you own it and you’re done. No longer are there variables out of your control.
I hit that stage when I posted the Strawberry cheesecake years ago – here. After that, it truly has been a piece of cake – cheesecake that is.
So enter mango cheesecake – I threw this recipe together a couple of weeks ago when I organized a surprise birthday party for Mr. Hubby and though darling friends arranged to get a chocolate cake to appease chocoholics, the cheesecake had Mr. Hubby’s name written all over it.
Cream cheese, mascarpone, mango puree, freshly ground cardamom are the main ingredients and are processed until smooth in a food processor.
Instead of the usual graham crust base, I stuck with my favorite ginger molasses snaps base which you’ll agree is so much better with Mango.
Also, no worries about the cheesecake top being cracked, unsightly or any of that; some sour cream with mango puree swirled smeared on the top of the cheesecake for the last 10 minutes was a wondrous way to finish the top.
Cook’s Note: I must bring this to your attention – I don’t let my crust base go up all the way up the sides of the cheesecake. I think it would make life simpler and edges more attractive but I don’t like the proportion of too much crust vis-à-vis my filling but that is entirely your call. If you want the crust to go all up the sides, you’ll want to double up the recipe for the crust.
Just before serving, some fresh chopped mangoes bejeweled with some black berries are a gorgeous way to serve this dessert. For 4th of July celebrations, add some Raspberries as well for red-white & blue!
Happy 4th U.S.A!
Happy Summer, world!
Where to buy Mango puree? All Indian Pakistani stores in the U.S sell 28 oz cans of Mango Puree.
Gather the ingredients,
Crust - 1 box (approx. 35) ginger snap biscuits, 5 tbs unsalted butter, 1/3 cup sugar & 1/8 tsp salt
Filling-4 (8-oz) packages cream cheese, softened at room temperature, 1 qty, 8 oz container Mascarpone, 1-3/4 cup Mango Puree (canned), 5 large eggs, 1-1/2 tsp fresh & finely ground cardamom seeds & 1-1/4 cup sugar
Sour cream topping- 16 oz sour cream, 2 tbs sugar & 1/3 cup Mango Puree (for swirls)
Mango Topping- 2 large ripe, sweet Mangoes (tree ripened), 1 tsp powdered sugar, 1 cup blackberries OR 1/2 cups blackberries + 1/2 cup raspberries
Pre-heat the oven at 350 deg F.
Crust:
Add the ginger snaps to a food processor. Process until broken down. There will still be some large pieces remaining. Add the sugar and process until as powdery as possible. Add the butter and process for a few minutes until mixture is tacky.
Use a 10” spring foam pan. Using a large and continuous sheet & wrap a seamless piece of Al foil, crimp and press around the bottom & side edges of the pan to protect the seam where the pan edges meets the base. Place on a baking pan with a lip high enough to hold about 1/2" water.
Empty all the crust contents for the crust in the pan. With clean hands press down. Use a straight edge ¼ measuring cup and press to allow the crust mixture to also go up the sides – refer to my note in the introduction regarding this. Smooth the crust so it is compacted and as level as possible.
REFRIGERATE the crust for 30 minutes allowing the melted butter to harden. Place the spring foam pan on the jelly roll pan.
Bake the refrigerated crust for about 10 minutes until a shade golden brown. Remove from the oven.
Meanwhile, prepare the filling.
Filling:
Wash the bowl of the food processor and refit with metal blade.
Add the cream cheese (at room temperature) and process until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs and process. Add the mascarpone, sugar, mango puree and ground cardamom & beat until the mixture is light and fluffy. Stop as soon as lumps are gone and do not over beat.
Empty the filling into the crust base. Place in the pre-heated oven.
Place in the pre-heated oven and pour water into the baking tray, 1/2" high.
Bake for about 40 minutes until the cake is set 3 inches from the edge and is still slightly wobbly when the pan is shaken. Please note no significant browning may occur on the surface.
Cook's Note - Do not perform the toothpick test as it is inappropriate for custardy, no flour cakes such as this.
Topping - 30 minutes into the cheesecake baking fix the topping.
Place the sour cream and the sugar into a bowl. Stir with a spatula.
Pour the sour cream mixture on the baked cheesecake. Spread the sour cream topping evenly on the surface of the cheesecake.
Drop tea-spoonfuls of the mango puree all over the surface. Using a dinner knife, make swirl patterns in the sour cream.
Bake for another 10 minutes. The sour cream topping bakes glossy. Remove from the oven and allow to cool about 15-20 minutes.
The cheesecake will mostly fall away from the sides as it cools. Run a knife gently around the edge of the pan to separate the cake from the pan sides to detach any sticky spots.
Allow to cool on the rack for about an hour & refrigerate with a loose cover on top. Keep the spring foam pan sides still attached overnight.
Fruit- Prepare the fruit the next day, 1-1/2 hour before serving.
Peel ripe mangoes. Dice into ½” pieces. Discard the large seed. Add 1 tsp powdered sugar. Gently mix to combine and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour until ready to use.
To serve- Bring cheesecake to room temperature 2 hours before serving.
Detach the sides of the cheesecake from the pan once the cheesecake is taken out of the refrigerator. Place on the final serving platter. Leave the base in place as-is.
Just before serving, spoon the diced mango along the edge of the cheesecake in a full circle. Dot with black berries and raspberries if desired. Be careful not to drop the mango all over the surface or it will stain the white sour cream.
Cut into wedges. Serve and enjoy!
Recipe for
Mango, Mascarpone & Cardamom Cheesecake
Preparation time - 40 minutes
Baking time- 40 minutes
Chilling time - Overnight
Shopping list
Crust -
1 box (approx. 35) ginger snap biscuits
5 tbs unsalted butter
1/3 cup sugar
1/8 tsp salt
Filling-
4 (8-oz) packages cream cheese, softened
1 qty, 8 oz container Mascarpone
1-3/4 cup Mango Puree (canned)
5 large eggs
1-1/2 tsp fresh & finely ground cardamom seeds
1-1/4 cup sugar
Sour cream topping-
16 oz sour cream
2 tbs sugar
1/3 cup Mango Puree (for swirls)
Mango Topping-
2 large ripe, sweet Mangoes (tree ripened)
1 tsp powdered sugar
1 cup blackberries
OR
1/2 cups blackberries + 1/2 cup raspberries
Method:
Pre-heat the oven at 350 deg F.
Crust:
Add the ginger snaps to a food processor. Process until broken down. There will still be some large pieces remaining. Add the sugar and process until as powdery as possible. Add the butter and process for a few minutes until mixture is tacky.
Use a 10” spring foam pan. Using a large and continuous sheet & wrap a seamless piece of Al foil, crimp and press around the bottom & side edges of the pan to protect the seam where the pan edges meets the base. Place on a baking pan with a lip high enough to hold about 1/2" water.
Empty all the crust contents for the crust in the pan. With clean hands press down. Use a straight edge ¼ measuring cup and press to allow the crust mixture to also go up the sides – refer to my note in the introduction regarding this. Smooth the crust so it is compacted and as level as possible.
REFRIGERATE the crust for 30 minutes allowing the melted butter to harden. Place the spring foam pan on the jelly roll pan.
Bake the refrigerated crust for about 10 minutes until a shade golden brown. Remove from the oven.
Meanwhile, prepare the filling.
Filling:
Wash the bowl of the food processor and refit with metal blade.
Add the cream cheese (at room temperature) and process until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs and process. Add the mascarpone, sugar, mango puree and ground cardamom & beat until the mixture is light and fluffy. Stop as soon as lumps are gone and do not over beat.
Empty the filling into the crust base. Place in the pre-heated oven.
Place in the pre-heated oven and pour water into the baking tray, 1/2" high.
Bake for about 40 minutes until the cake is set 3 inches from the edge and is still slightly wobbly when the pan is shaken. Please note no significant browning may occur on the surface.
Cook's Note - Do not perform the toothpick test as it is inappropriate for custardy, no flour cakes such as this.
Topping - 30 minutes into the cheesecake baking fix the topping.
Place the sour cream and the sugar into a bowl. Stir with a spatula.
Pour the sour cream mixture on the baked cheesecake. Spread the sour cream topping evenly on the surface of the cheesecake.
Drop tea-spoonfuls of the mango puree all over the surface. Using a dinner knife, make swirl patterns in the sour cream.
Bake for another 10 minutes. The sour cream topping bakes glossy. Remove from the oven and allow to cool about 15-20 minutes.
The cheesecake will mostly fall away from the sides as it cools. Run a knife gently around the edge of the pan to separate the cake from the pan sides to detach any sticky spots.
Allow to cool on the rack for about an hour & refrigerate with a loose cover on top. Keep the spring foam pan sides still attached overnight.
Fruit- Prepare the fruit the next day, 1-1/2 hour before serving.
Peel ripe mangoes. Dice into ½” pieces. Discard the large seed. Add 1 tsp powdered sugar. Gently mix to combine and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour until ready to use.
To serve- Bring cheesecake to room temperature 2 hours before serving.
Detach the sides of the cheesecake from the pan once the cheesecake is taken out of the refrigerator. Place on the final serving platter. Leave the base in place as-is.
Just before serving, spoon the diced mango along the edge of the cheesecake in a full circle. Dot with black berries and raspberries if desired. Be careful not to drop the mango all over the surface or it will stain the white sour cream.
Cut into wedges. Serve and enjoy!
